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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Distressing Times

6
November 2013

Opening Prayer/Worship

Hymn: I Need Thee
Every Hour

Theme: Knowing the
Lord

Topic: Distressing
Times

Reading: Habakkuk
1:1-4, 2:1-4

1The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.2O Lord,
how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you
‘Violence!’ and you will not save?3Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction
and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.4So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The
wicked surround the righteous—therefore judgement comes forth perverted.2:1-4 I will stand at my
watch-post, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he
will say to me, and what hewill
answer concerning my complaint.2Then theLordanswered me and said: Write the
vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.3For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it
speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it
will surely come, it will not delay.4Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but
the righteous live by their faith.

Introduction

One of the most
challenging aspects of knowing the Lord is holding unto our faith in Him during
difficult and challenging times. During
periods of sickness, pain, struggle with sin, disappointments, failure,
heartbreak, frustration, loss of a loved one, poor economy, and other manner of
trials and temptations, we begin to wonder whether God will come true with His
promise of love, justice, mercy, deliverance, and grace. Remembering the faithfulness of the Lord at
such trying times, will give us the courage and strength to endure and overcome
the challenge. The Scripture declares
that those who know their Lord will do exploits; they will soar on wings like
eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint. Knowing the Lord does not make us immune to
distressing times but rather it gives us the grace to overcome the challenges
of life.

Questions/Discussion

1. How does knowing
the Lord help us during distressing times?

Psalm 119:137-144

137You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgements are right.138You have appointed your
decrees in righteousness and in all faithfulness.139My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your
words.140Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.141I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts.142Your righteousness is an
everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth.143Trouble and anguish have
come upon me, but your commandments are my
delight.144Your decrees are righteous
for ever; give me understanding that I
may live.

John 14:9-14

Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time,
Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, “Show us the Father”?10Do you
not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I
say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his
works.11Believe
me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then
believe me because of the works themselves.12Very
truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do
and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the
Father.13I will
do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.14If in my name you ask mefor
anything, I will do it.

James 1:2-8, 12-18

My
brothers and sisters,whenever
you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy,3because you know that the testing of your
faith produces endurance;4and let endurance have
its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you is
lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and
it will be given you.6But ask in faith,
never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and
tossed by the wind;7, 8for the doubter, being
double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything
from the Lord. 12 Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has
stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lordhas promised to those who love him.13No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am
being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts
no one.14But one is tempted by
one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it;15then, when that desire has conceived, it
gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.16Do not be deceived, my beloved. 17 Every generous
act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the
Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.18In fulfilment of his own purpose he gave
us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits
of his creatures.

2. What are the
lessons for us in Luke 19:1-10 regarding God’s faithfulness?

Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through it.2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief
tax-collector and was rich.3He was
trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because
he was short in stature.4So he
ran ahead and climbed a sycomore tree to see him, because he was going to pass
that way.5When
Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and
come down; for I must stay at your house today.’6So he
hurried down and was happy to welcome him.7All
who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who
is a sinner.’8Zacchaeus
stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will
give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back
four times as much.’9Then
Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a
son of Abraham.10For
the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’

Galatians 3:7-14

so, you
see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham.8And the scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham,
saying, ‘All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you.’9For this reason, those who believe are
blessed with Abraham who believed. 10 For all who rely
on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is
everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of
the law.’11Now it is evident that
no one is justified before God by the law; for ‘The one who is righteous will
live by faith.’12But the law does not
rest on faith; on the contrary, ‘Whoever does the works of the lawwill live by them.’13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the
law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs
on a tree’—14in order that in
Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

3. How do we encourage
ourselves in the Lord during difficult times?

Psalm 146:1-10

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my
soul!2 I will praise
the Lord as long as
I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

3 Do not put your
trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.4 When their
breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.

5 Happy are those
whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their
God,6 who made heaven
and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;7 who
executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets
the prisoners free;8 the Lord opens the eyes of
the blind.
The Lord lifts up those
who are bowed down;
the Lord loves
the righteous.9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Isaiah 43:1-28

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you,
O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have
redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall
not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and
the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your
God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and
Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my sight, and
honoured, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in
exchange for your life. 5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your
offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6 I will say to
the north, ‘Give them up’, and to the south, ‘Do not withhold; bring
my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth—7 everyone who is
called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and
made.’ 8 Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who
are deaf, yet have ears! 9 Let all the nations gather together, and let the
peoples assemble. Who among them declared this, and foretold to us the
former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let
them hear and say, ‘It is true.’ 10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have
chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am
he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. 11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no
saviour. 12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was
no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses, says the Lord. 13 I am God, and
also henceforth I am He; there is no one who can deliver from my
hand; I work and who can hinder it? 14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One
of Israel: For your sake I will send to Babylon and break down all
the bars, and the shouting of the Chaldeans will be turned to lamentation. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of
Israel, your King. 16 Thus says the Lord, who
makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, 17 who brings out
chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they
are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 18 Do not remember
the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do
a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a
way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The wild animals
will honour me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the
wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21 the
people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise. 22 Yet you did not
call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel! 23 You have not
brought me your sheep for burnt-offerings, or honoured me with your
sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. 24 You have not
bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your
sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with
your iniquities. 25 I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own
sake, and I will not remember your sins. 26 Accuse me, let
us go to trial; set forth your case, so that you may be proved right. 27 Your first
ancestor sinned, and your interpreters transgressed against me. 28 Therefore I
profaned the princes of the sanctuary, I delivered Jacob to utter
destruction, and Israel to reviling.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4,
11-12

Paul,
Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and
peace from God ourFather and the
Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and
sisters,as is right, because
your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one
another is increasing.4Therefore we ourselves
boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during
all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.11To this end we always
pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will
fulfil by his power every good resolve and work of faith,12so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be
glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the
Lord Jesus Christ.

Intercession/Worship

Conclusion

Trying times will come,
but thanks be to God who has promised us victory through His Son Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer (Collect
for All Saints’ Day)

Almighty God, whose
people are knit together in one holy Church, the mystical Body of your Son,
grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment,
and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you;
through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.